So, You're the New Boss?

So you just got hired at a brand new, about to open or existing waterpark resort, or you may be getting ready to open up for your 100+ day season. You may have been hired to get the new facility off to the right start, do a better job than your predecessor, save a sinking ship or you just want to avoid some of the previous season’s woes. Consider using the following standards and see if they can help you and the facility you are working for transition for a more successful operation.

These guidelines came about by reopening a seasonal waterpark 15 years in a row and opening two new Waterparks in existing resorts. I also observed many new leaders coming in over many years and seeing what worked for them and what didn’t work for the facility.

These standards can:

1. Allow you to quickly evaluate and identify problems in the facility and get clarity when things start to get overwhelming.

2. Help you communicate more clearly and give direction to the people working with you when things can be chaotic.

3. Allow you to focus your energy on the areas that need the most attention and not waste time on standards that are already working.

4. Develop action plans and delegate who is responsible, getting those involved in the transition to a new leadership style.

5. Be used for job descriptions, performance reviews, coaching, counseling and recognition and reward programs.

What are the standards?

Whether you call them guidelines or policies, they are principles that create correct behaviors that can be measured. The ability to measure can tell you what is already working and what needs improvement. Use the standards as a checklist to see what is already in place. When communicated correctly they also can be used to develop people as well as places.

The examples listed for each standard below are by no means complete but serve to help you decide more of the Key indicators.

Budget standards

First and foremost are budget standards. No matter how big your plans are you can’t make them come to fruition unless they are budgeted and you are profitable. Even if you are a municipal facility you still have to meet a budget. How profitable you are will depend on your focus on revenue and expenses.

1. A budget- outlining your anticipated revenue cost of sales, payroll and operating expenses in comparison to a bottom line goal.

2. Develop a labor to revenue percentage- in a waterpark environment no matter what the labor percentage is you have to be 100% safe

3. Develop an expenses to revenue percentage-Make it realistic but figure how much is flowing thru to the bottom line

4. The Daily dashboard or “flash”- covering financial information such as income, labor, capture ratios, percentages and month to date forecasts with budget comparisons. Decide who gets the information, when and how is it analyzed to respond proactively to shortfalls.

5. Inventory control - when and how often you do it to determine wastage or cost of sales.

6. Staffing-Line schedules, payroll and schedules based on attendance or occupancy forecast.

7. Purchase orders-a process that has checks and balances but also allows Dept. Heads to buy items easily when given authorization

Service standards

Introducing and improving guest service is your secret weapon. I believe that once your company/department culture changes in this area the other areas fall into place.

1. Develop standards-identify behaviors that are conducive to a positive guest experience and package them into an easy to remember format. Making guests happy makes employees happy!

2. Develop a training program-show how you greet guests, handle difficult guests and complaints and how to make each guest interaction positive for a great hand off for the next employee.

3. Customer service scores-make sure you get guest feedback to know what your dissatisfiers are. if you don’t keep score how will you know if you’re getting better or worse. Communicate the results.

4. Refund policy- establish who can and how you take care of refunds for dissatisfied guests.

5. Service recognition and rewards- create a straightforward and instant peer based recognition program with whatever rewards you can buy or trade for.

Safety standards

Guest safety mirrors Employee safety. In a waterpark environment ongoing training is vital and not just for Aquatic staff. There is a direct correlation between training and employee satisfaction.

1. New hire training- have all employees completed OSHA required training on hazardous material etc.

2. Certifications- what are the prerequisites and how do you keep track of expiration.

3. Drills and Audits- how often do you conduct them internally or externally? What happens when a safety audit is failed or passed with excellence?

4. Ongoing training- how many hours per month/season or year are budgeted, planned and invested on In-Service?

5. Workplace safety- who is responsible for an all department safety committee.

6. Safety inspections- daily and monthly ride, structure and fire inspections. Who performs them, how often and most importantly how are items addressed and corrected when observed as unsafe?

7. Documentation of training and record keeping- if it’s not documented it never happened.

Operating standards

This is probably the largest of all the areas and includes but is not limited to,

1. Communication- usually this is one of the main causes for issues within an operation. Are people working in isolation and in silos? Does accounting communicate well with other departments? Is the communication effective or complicated?

2. Maintenance- preventive and predictive maintenance schedules, work order delegation and documentation.

3. Cleaning - who is responsible for what and when. There is often confusion and frustration between aquatic, custodial and housekeeping staff as to who should do what cleaning.

4. Checklists and inspection forms- straightforward forms that cover all areas that guests and employees have access to. Make sure that all understand that checklists are their friends and servants.

5. Opening & Closing duties - what has to be done prior to opening. Try not to leave items for the next day opening crew. Many times items can be more easily addressed outside and after hours when things aren’t quite so hectic. How many people will it take and who is responsible and accountable.

6. Meetings- decide the format, frequency and follow up.

7. Action plan- how is it delegated held accountable and communicated.

8. Availability and absences- is there a problem with excessive lates, absences and time off requests. Sometimes no problems mean that there is no tracking. Do all your employees understand they are in the hospitality industry and have to be available all holidays, weekends and meet the business needs of the organization?

9. Hiring and retention plan- job requisitions based on line schedules all the way through to developing a leadership pipeline.

10. Human resources- how are new employees found interviewed and processed. are talented employees recognized and poor performers coached or let go.

Presentation standards

This isn’t just about uniform it’s also about appearance. Its how we look and how we act especially in guest view.

1. Uniform- the first step in consistency, discipline and cooperation. If you lined up all the employees shoulder to shoulder how close would the uniform be to each other, regardless if it provided it at no cost or at the expense of the employee.

2. Creep ins- the only thing worse than having no standard is having standards which are not followed. Are there already established guidelines that are not followed by some or all individuals or departments?

3. Cell phone usage in guest areas- who is authorized to carry a cell phone and who is not. Do you have front desk agents, supervisors and housekeepers all displaying and using their cell phones in guest areas? The same goes for mp3 players.

4. Grooming, tattoos and piercing- decide your policies on hair length and color, shaving, visible tattoos, earrings and visible non traditional piercings.

5. The guest view and approachability- is there a problem with employees hanging out with other employees while on break, in guest view or family member visits. Are employees ready to take hospitality to the guest or sitting and hiding?

Decide your Format

Is the delivery of these standards going to be in the form of?

• An Operating manual

• A Business plan

• A Checklist matrix

• An evaluation form

• Action plan

Tips for implementation

1. Evaluate- use the standards to evaluate the facility, operation and people and sort issues into one of the standard areas.

2. Involve- involving and getting input from those who were there before your arrival may bring people on board faster and willingly after you’ve arrived. Remember people are more apt to follow guidelines that they helped create than ones that are imposed on them. The key is to make sure you are the facilitator and you keep an end vision in mind.

3. Communicate- daily, weekly and monthly until each standard becomes part of the culture. The standards have to be living and breathing not just a written manual bought out for a deposition or inspection. Make sure all is clearly understood in writing and visually presented.

4. Input- hold a new leader transition meeting where you can introduce the standards and your expectations as well as allow questions like, ‘why did you leave your last job?’

5. Celebrate- You can do this by instant recognition and reward. Always, ‘say it when you see it’. Peer recognition should count double.

Summary

These are just a few of examples of areas within the standards and by no means complete. I have used some real life examples which seem to be reoccurring issues at a most facilities I have worked at or visited. I hope that this method of organizing your priorities will help put together a workable plan and you get the results you are looking for, or assist you in implementing what works best for you and the people you work with.